Coffee Cult: $20,000 Steampunk Brewing Machine

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Coffee Cult: $20,000 Steampunk Brewing Machine

If you thought high-end audio gear was esoteric and crazy expensive (I'm looking at you, Rob Beschizza), then check out the beverage world's equivalent, the Siphon Bar. This steampunk steamer comes from Japan and makes Starbucks look cheap: It's $20,000. The coffee brewer forces water vapor through the grounds, where they are stirred by hand.

As with any cult, there are strange rituals to follow. Coffee should be stirred with a bamboo paddle to form a whirlpool, which should be created with no more than four turns. According to the New York Times, cafe owner James Freeman "practiced stirring plain water for months to develop muscle memory before he brewed his first cup of siphon coffee."

If that sounds like a scene from Karate Kid, this quote from Freeman sounds more like The Matrix: "The whirlpool, it messes with your mind. There’s no way to rush it".